iLRN2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network

Rhapsodies in the 5th: Presenting Noma! An XR Experience
Nyambura M. Waruingi
Akoia & Company Ltd, Kenya
 
RHAPSODIES IN THE 5TH is a presentation providing a case study on language, culture and heritage practices as a result of the emerging art-based XR experiences created, produced, and disseminated to audiences in Nairobi, Kenya. It gives a local perspective on XR artwork development, production, and distribution. The focus is NOMA! AN XR EXPERIENCE, a location-based experience.
The experience ran from Jan 23rd to Feb 4th, 2020, at the Goethe-Institut in Nairobi, featuring XR artwork produced from experiments with visual arts and VR and AR tools. In directing and curating this experience, I was interested in how these XR experiences would work on smartphones and via web, particularly in Kenya where mobile penetration is highest in East Africa and the internet more widely available because of affordable data packages.
In turn, NOMA! functions as a cultural site for linguistic and technological translations in the creation and production of XR artworks. In producing this experience, I questioned how to make technologies accessible outside of English and in a local manner. This focus on access expands the conversation to include: the use of readily available software and hardware tools, and XR artwork production targeting a growing audience/market of smartphone users, which would translate into revenue via web XR experiences, mobile apps, and locally produced headsets.
In summary, RHAPSODIES IN THE 5TH presents: the emerging XR art experiences in Nairobi, Kenya, giving artists tools to explore different encounters of their work; how to develop access to cultural experiences outside of the designated galleries, museums, and libraries; the function of local languages in expanding technological access; and, emerging knowledge on developing audiences for XR art experiences for web and smartphones in an environment where mobile telephony penetration is rapidly shifting the digital landscape.